If the “adoption” mentioned at the beginning
of this passage were identical (as Touttée thinks) with the
“gift of the Holy Ghost,” it would by no means follow that
Cyril here means to include Unction in Baptism. For the grace
which beyond all others is exclusively attached to Baptism, and not to
Unction, is the new birth, and this is “the new birth into
freedom and
adoption Cat. i. 2..” In fact
Cyril’s teaching on this point is in strict accordance with that
of St. Paul in Gal. iv.
4–6, that we
first receive the adoption of sons (υἱοθεσίαν), and then “because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of
His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” So
again in Rom. viii. 15,
16, he says,
“Ye received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that
we are the children of God.” In both passages St. Paul
clearly distinguishes two things, “the adoption” itself,
and the witness of it by “the Spirit of adoption.”
Cf. Bengel on v. 4: “Prius adoptionem, deinde
Spiritum adoptionis accepimus;” and on v. 6:
“Filiorum statum sequitur inhabitatio Spiritus Sancti, non
hanc ille.” The adoption itself belongs to Baptism strictly
so called, in which we are made children of God and joint heirs with
Christ (cf. Cat. iii. 15): the witness of the indwelling Spirit
of adoption is the special grace ascribed to Chrism in the Eastern
Church, and to Confirmation in the Western. There are many other
passages in which Cyril ascribes to Baptism itself, as distinct from
Chrism, a gift of the Spirit, such as the following: “But
He trieth the soul: He casteth not His pearls before the
swine: if thou dissemble, men will baptize thee now, but the
Spirit will not baptize thee Ib. xvii. § 36..”